Travel Trend

Among travel trends identified during a Chicago gathering this fall of the International Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus:

-- Amusement park revenue is expected to show a 6% increase for 2004 and jump another 4.5% annually for the next 10 years, according to the International Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions.

-- Travel among Generation Xers is up 41%, and most prefer to book by web and aren't loyal to hotel brands, according to DK Shifflet & Associates. Gen Xers and Baby Boomers, whose travel is up 16%, like to combine business and leisure travel and to go as couples without children.

-- Hotel room revenue nationwide should top $1 billion this year, according to Smith Travel Research and PricewaterhouseCoopers. And tourists who visit them spend $2 outside the parks for every $1 they spend inside.

-- Tourists account for 30% of the sales at fine dining establishments, 20% at restaurants touting family or casual dining and 15% at fast-food outlets, according to the National Restaurant Association.